gustrock wrote:Is this doable? By doable I mean will I likely be able to find a job to pay it off? My parents will be helping me with COL and other expenses. The school slips in and out of the Top 100 year after year. I want to study Intellectual Property, and Public Interest isn't out of the question. Obviously don't want biglaw. Is this too daunting of a figure to pursue, in your guys' opinion? Thanks guys.

Parents will also assist me in paying off debt if I really need it. However, by that time I will be 26, and 26 year olds aren't supposed to be receiving money from their parents anymore, especially since they have been so generous for undergrad and law school.

gustrock wrote:Is that usually the rule of thumb: Not going into debt more than than projected starting salary?

The two schools are Toledo and U of D Mercy, btw.

Not really a rule of thumb. But to try to keep your debt payments small enough that you can still afford them and still live decently. 60K in debt is about 9000 a year. That doesn't sound like much, but after FICA, federal taxes, state taxes, insurance, rent, car, a food, its a significant percent of your money.

With IBR your risk isn't too high. Assuming all of the loans are stafford or gradplus, if you end up taking a crappy job you only have to pay a set % of your income after adjustments for family size/fed. poverty level. Regardless, that debt will still be sitting over your head, so it is important to choose the school that equips you best to pay it off/live comfortably.